Marvel confirmed a Fantastic Four reboot for the MCU back in July 2019 during its big MCU Phase 4 reveal. Since then, Marvel has only shared two updates. In December 2020, we learned that Jon Watts would direct the film. Then, in early May 2022, Watts confirmed he would not work on the reboot after all. We still have no idea who will play the members of the Fantastic Four, and Marvel has yet to announce the film’s release date.
What’s worse, recent reports indicate that Marvel isn’t in a hurry to pick a director. The rumor said the search might continue through Labor Day, indicating release date delays might be in order. One musical development does suggest that Marvel might make some sort of Fantastic Four announcement soon. But don’t get excited about learning the film’s release date just yet.
Also, you should be warned that some spoilers might follow below.
Is Fantastic Four one of Marvel’s next big MCU announcements?
Marvel did give us the first taste of the MCU’s Fantastic Four in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. We got to meet a Reed Richards variant, with John Krasinski playing this Mister Fantastic. The character died horribly in the movie, being no match for Wanda (Elizabeth Olsen) gone mad.
But there’s no telling whether Krasinski will play the Richards of the primary MCU reality. Marvel did say it cast the actor to service fans, who have been asking for this particular casting decision for years.
As for the other Fantastic Four members, we’re yet to see them in the MCU. But rumors claim that some of them will appear before the Fantastic Four release. If that were to happen it’ll be interesting to see whether Marvel will host any announcements to actually reveal the MCU’s Fantastic Four cast.
Not to mention all the Doctor Doom rumors we saw recently. The villain might appear in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. And Howard Stern might be part of a project featuring the character.
Marvel should appear at San Diego Comic-Con in a few weeks. That’s where it first confirmed the Fantastic Four three years ago, so a release date announcement would be only fitting for the movie. Not to mention that Kevin Feige teased that Marvel might soon explain where the current saga is heading.
Then there’s the D23 Expo in mid-September, another place where Marvel might make a few big announcements. Revealing the Fantastic Four cast and crew could be one such announcement. But all of this is speculation at this point.
When will Fantastic Four be released?
Head over to the Fantastic Four IMDb page and you’ll see a July 19, 2024, release date. That’s when the service expects the movie to hit theaters.
The reason we’re checking out the Fantastic Four IMDb page is actually tied to a potential Marvel announcement. The Cosmic Circus discovered that the page was recently updated with new information regarding the Music Department for the film. Some 35 credits are now linked to Fantastic Four.
The blog found that 24 of the 35 credits have worked with Marvel Studios on previous projects. Moreover, 18 of them have worked with composer Michael Giacchino at least once. And 16 of them worked with him on multiple occasions. Thor: Love and Thunder is one such project.
This discovery seems to suggest that Giacchino might score the Fantastic Four. Only a Marvel announcement would confirm that, as the composer’s name doesn’t appear in the list.
The Cosmic Circus offers two possible explanations for these IMDB credits. One is that Fantastic Four development might be farther along than believed. The other is that Marvel might be getting ready for the big Fantastic Four announcement that fans have been dying to see. And Kevin Feige & Co. might want to have the MCU’s Fantastic Four score ready for it.
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